Thursday, August 5, 2010

On the book trail

It all began with a news story. An article in the paper about a Kashmiri boy who claimed to have seen the legendary Yeti, the Abominable Snowman himself, was the spark that ignited Shoba Naidu’s creativity.
Years later, what began as a story written for the author’s seven-year-old son has evolved into a children’s novel.

On The Yeti’s Trail drew people from all over Bangalore to the book release at Crossword bookstore presided over by Shinie Antony. The bookstore was buzzing with excitement as Shoba and Antony began introducing the book.

During the question and answer segment of the release, a man at front raised his hand. “Children don’t like books anymore,” he said flatly. “They only want to watch videos these days.”

A few people in the room chuckled but the author looked unfazed. “Look at Twilight,” she urged.
“Look at the Harry Potter books!” Mushtaq, Shoba’s protagonist, has the power to connect with young readers.In Shoba’s opinion, children’s literature is in the midst of a renaissance. Now is not only a good time to begin work in the field, it may be one of the best.